Vehicle operated gate



Aug. 27, 1957 B. G. HANCOCK 2,803,898 v VEHICLE OPERATED GATE Filed Aug. 2, 1954 5 sheets-sneek 1 BERNICE G HANCOCK BY I ATTORNEY Aug. 27, 1957 B. G. HANCOCK 2,803,898

` VEHICLE OFERATED GATE Filed Aug. 2, 1954 3 Sheets--Sheek 2 p FIG. 4 l' FIG. 5

COCK

ATTORNEY IN VENTOR Aug. 27, 1957 B. G. HANCOCK VEHICLE OPERATED GATE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 2, 1954 INVENTOR BERNI-CE G. HANCOCK United States VEHICLE OPERATED GATE Bernice G. Hancock, St. Matthews, Si,x C.

Application August 2, 1954, Serial No. 447,115

2 Claims. (Cl. 39-31) This invention relates to an automatic farm gate and has for its primary object to erect an automatic selectively opened barrier across a roadway.

Another object is to cause said barrier to be automatically removed upon the `approach of a vehicle toward either side thereof.

The above and lother objects may be attained by ernploying this invention which em-bodies among its features a bracket mounted adjacent one side of a roadway to tilt about a horizontal axis which extends above and substantially perpendicularly -across the roadway, a stop mounted beside the roadway and extending upwardly above the level of the roadway opposite the bracket, a gate mounted on the bracket to Iswing in response to the tilt thereof from an active position in which it extends across the roadway and engages the stop to an inactive position in which it extends substantially parallel to the roadway adjacent the bracket, yielding means anchored beneath the roadway and `operatively connected to the bracket for tilting it and swinging the gate across the roadway, and means extending across the roadway and operatively connected to the bracket for `tilting it against the eiort of the yielding means in response to the approach of a 4vehicle along the roadway toward the gate to cause the gate to swing to inactive position.

Other features include platforms mounted in the path of advance of a vehicle approaching the gate to move under the influence of said vehicle, and means carried by the bracket and operatively connected to the platforms for tilting the bracket 'against the effort of the yielding means upon movement of the platforms and causing the gate 4to swing to open position.

ilu the drawings:

Fig. l i-s a plan View of a roadway showing it equipped with this improved farm gate,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. l,

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially lon the line 4 4 of Fig. l,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional View taken substantially yon the line 5 5 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is la fragmentary perspective View of the gate post, tilting bracket and gate,

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 1, parts being omitted showing diagrammatically a gate latch arrangement, and

Fig. 8 is a View taken on line 88 of Fig. 7 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the latch with trip cable.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a roadway designated generally Ertl is provided with a walled pit 12 of a width slightly greater than the width 'of the roadway. Mounted beside the roadway and extending vertically upwardly from the roadway substantially midway between opposite ends of the pit 12 is a gate post 14 carrying intermediate its upper and lower ends a pivot 16. A bracket designated generally 18 comprising a :body 20 is mounted substantially midway between opposite ends on the pivot 16 to tilt about a substantially horizontal axis which extends above and substantially perpendicular across the pit 12. `Carried by the body 20 and extending outwardly therefrom toward the roadway .adjacent opposite ends of the body 20 are ears 22 and 24 through which extend axially aligned openings. An extension 26 is carried by the fbody and extends downwardly therefrom adjacent the ear 24 and said extension is provided with `an opening 28 for a purpose to be more fully hereinafter described.

Mounted for rotation in the `aligned openings -in the ears 22 and 24 are aligned trunnions 30 comprising eX- tensions of an upwardly extending frame member 32 of a farm gate designated generally 34. Mounted adjacent the side of the roadway 10 remote from the post 14 and extending upwardly opposite said post is =a stop 36 against which the gate 34 rests when it is in active position.

Mounted in the pit 12 and extending longitudinally therethrough adjacent opposite sides thereof are bed rails 33 to which are pivoted as at 40 adjacent one end of the pit 12 upwardly extending links 42. Similar links 44 are pivoted as at 46 to the bed rails 38 intermediate the ends of the pit and pivotally connected as at 481 and 50 to the links 42 and 44 respectively are the side yrails 52 of a tread designated generally 54. Longitu-dinally spaced cross members 56 are carried by the side rails 52 and extend transversely across the tops thereof to define the tread surface of Ithe tread 54. One of the cross members 56 is provided `with an extension 58 which projects laterally beyond the tread S4 and has connected thereto `one end of a rigid link 6d, the opposite end of which is extended through the opening 28 in the extension 26 so ythat as the tread 54 moves longitudinally of the bed rails 3S the bracket 18 will be tilted about the horizontal axis previously referred to.

Pivotally connected as at 62 to the bed rails 38 ad jacent the end of the pit 12 remote from the links 42 are links 64 which extend upwardly from the bed rails and are pivotally connected as at 66 to the side rails 68 of a tread designated generally 70. Lever 'arms 72 are pivotally connected intermediate their ends as at 74 to the bed rails 38 intermediate the ends thereof and said lever arms are pivotally connected adjacent their upper ends to the side rails 68 to cooperate with the links 64 in supporting the tread '7d for movement longitudinally above the bed rails 38. `Connected as at 76 to the lever arms 72 adjacent their lower ends are inter-connecting links 78 which extend upwardly from the lever arms 72 and are pivotally connected as at 80 to the side rails 52 of the tread 54. lt will thus "be seen that as the tread 70 'advances toward the gate under the influence of an approaching vehicle the link 7S will move the tread 54 in the opposite direction and cause the `bracket 18 to tilt in the direction indicated by the broken lines in Figure 2 to cause the gate 34 to swing under the influence of gravity away from the stop 36 and into open position as suggested by the broken lines in Figure 2.

In order to restore the gate 34 to clos-ed position as illustrated in full lines in Figures l, 2 and 4 retractile coiled springs S2 are anchored as at 84 to the bed rails 3'8 and the opposite ends of said springs are connected to the lever arms 72 coincident with the connections 76 between the lever arms 72 and the interconnecting links 78. -In the preferred form of the invention the gap between the adjacent ends of the treads 54 and 70 is bridged `by a bridge piece 86 which is carried by the tread 70 and extends across a portion of the tread 54.

In Figure 7 the cross member 96 has one end 98 extending over the pit Iwall and to the end 98 there is connected one end lill) of link 102 that is pivotally mounted at 104 to any suitable support, the opposite end 106 being pivotal'ly connected toene end of rod 108. To the oppositev end of rod 108. thereis connected a cable 110, which passes over pulley wheel 112, thence over pulley wheel 114, and then being attached to catch 116 at poin-t 118. Catch .116. is `pivotallymounted toranyl suitable support at, point 120,]an-d hasits notched portion122..constantl urged ,upward by compressionspring 124-. A carn surface126 lallows the bottom edge of the gate tocam` the catch 116; down until the gate vengages notch 122', when compression spring1'24` will returny the catch to its: no1'.- m'al position, thus holding the. gatel open.

lnuse it will be evident that a vehiclev approaching thea gate 34 fromtheleft as. viewed in Figure 2 .will cause thetread 54 tomove longitudinally toward the,v tread 70 Iand downwardly a little, and the tread 70 toward tread- 5.4"by means of the` interconnecting linkage 78, 72, Ithus moving, the treads against the. .effort of the `springs 82, which normally justibalanceftheztrea-ds S4 and 70 in their elevated outward positions, and transmitting such movement through the link tltorthebracket 118. The bracket 18 will thus` bev tilted intothe broken line position shown in Figure 2. `so as Ato cause the gate34- to swing under the influence of gravity -to open position. Upon the passage. of the vehicle through the gateway dened by the post 14 and stop 36, and overV the tread 70, after clearing it, the springs. 52 will. return the treads to their initial positions thus causing the bracket 18 to tilt about the horizontal axis into 4the full -line positionV shown in AFigure 2 to cause the gate 34 to swing in a reverse direction until it extends acrossthe roadway and engages the stop 3,6. Obviously the approach of a vehicle from the right as viewed in Figure 2 will cause a repeat opening of the gate through the simultaneous moving of `the treads 70 andr y54- toward each other.

The operation of the catch is as follows:

When the gate 34 opens as a result of the opera-tion previously described, it swings back until its lower edge contacts the cam surface 126 of spring 124 'and camming thel catch 116 down until Isaid gate clears the cam surface and seats in the recess 122. The catch 116, under tension. ofthe spring 124, rises and -locks the gate firmly in position-l As the cai` leaves tread 54 and `engages tread 70 tread 70 moves in the opposite direction from the car, as shown by the arrow in Figs. 1 and 2. Cross member 96 having end 98 moves inthe direction of the arrow, carrying with it end 100 of link 102. The other end 106 of link 102 -will have an opposite movement lto that of end 100 as a result of the midpoint pivot 104. Rod 108 therefore, moving in the same ydirection as the car, Will pull cable 110. over pulley wheels. 112 and. 114, overcoming lthe tension of spring 124, and unseating the gate yfrom notch 122. The gate 34 `will then return to its closed position as shown in Fig. 1.

It is to -be understood of course, that this latching means can -be 4carried out in various Ways, and applicant does not limit himself by what is shown and described in the specification and drawings, but only as dened by the appended claims.

lclaim:

l. An automatic farm gate comprising Ea support, a bracket mounted adjacent one side of the gate to tilt about a horizontal axis which extends labove and substantially perpendicularly across a roadway, a gate stop mounted beside the roadway and extending upwardly above the roadway adjacent the other side of said gate, said gate hinged in said bracket to swing in response to the tilt thereof from anv activev position in which it extends across the roadway and engages the stop to an inactive position in which it extends substantially parallel to `the roadway adjacent the. bracket, said bracket having la shaft extending horizontally yfrom a midpoint on the gate, a bearing support having 'a bearing on` said. horizontal axis in which said shaft isirotatably mounted lfor tilting, a traic actuated Aplatform in two parts extending in opposite directions from `said gate, each part being mounted on downwardly movable hinged parallel supports linked .together to -rnove Vsaid Vparts simultaneously toward each other and downwardly to rest on a solid foundation when either par-t receives a traficv load, said linkage being spring loa-ded to normally move s-aid parts into suspended position, and an operativeconnection between `said platform and said 'bracket tilting the latter in response tov movement of ysaid platforms upon being traic actuated..

2. A gate as defined in claim l, said operative connection being arigid link extending substantially horizontally from the bottom of said bracket to the adjacent side of the platform.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 217,325 Bond July 8, 1879 769,571 Snyder Sept. 6, 1904 866,139 Jordan Sept. 17, 1907 FOREIGN PATENTS 109,687 Australia Jan. 25, 1940 

